COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nick Foligno scored a goal, won a fight and delivered a message Sunday evening to critics who doubt his team’s resolve with its season suddenly at a crossroads.

The Blue Jackets captain had just walked into the locker room following a 5-2 setback to the Jets that completed a lost weekend in Nationwide Arena. His club, the toast of the NHL a week ago for its all-in approach to the trade deadline, sits two points out of the final playoff spot with 17 games remaining.

Foligno answered a few cursory questions about an effort that was much improved from Saturday’s no-show performance against the Oilers, but not good enough to earn points on a night Blake Wheeler scored four goals.

Then, the captain was asked about how players in the locker room would go about blocking out “the noise,” from skeptics after a third loss in four games.

“Let people jump on and off all they want,” Foligno said. “They have been doing that all...